It is known that the growth of spores and seed of sea organisms occurs on such surfaces.
This biological growth will lead to a layer of algae, barnacles, slime, mussels and other organisms on the surface, such that ‘biofouling’ is created.
For ships this biofouling will ensure that the fuel consumption of the ship increases drastically because the ship will experience more resistance while sailing.
Moreover, in this way there will be a spread of these organisms outside their ecosystem.
It is thus important to remove this growth.
Traditionally this is done by taking the ship to a dry dock in order to clean the hull of the ship, but this is a very time-consuming activity.
Alternatively the hull of the ship can be cleaned underwater by divers who brush the hull clean with rotating brushes.
A disadvantage of this is that the divers are exposed to considerable underwater currents, such that their work can constitute considerable risks.
In the open sea, at offshore installations, the risks for divers are simply too great.
Moreover, the use of divers constitutes extra costs.
That is why in some cases the rotating brushes are mounted on a type of underwater robot or ‘remotely operated vehicle’ whereby this robot ensures the movement of the brushes over the hull of the ship.
The robot is then often provided with a camera to be able to inspect the surface to be cleaned.
A disadvantage of such a device is that the aforementioned camera only enables a small part of the surface to be inspected, such that it cannot often be determined which parts the robot still has to clean.
Moreover the robot is connected to a cable, or ‘umbilical cord’, that ensures the control of the robot and which leads upwards to a control device on board the ship or on the quay. This cable is relatively thick and not very flexible.
To ensure that the robot can reach all parts of the ship to be cleaned, this cable is necessarily relatively long, often up to one hundred meters and more.
Moreover this cable impedes the movements of the robot, not only due to its weight, but also because it is not very flexible so that it is more difficult for the robot to make sharp movements or bends. A long cable is also more susceptible to the effects of currents.
The purpose of the present invention is to provide a solution to a least one of the aforementioned and other disadvantages.